Afghan President Hamid Karzai heard a litany of complaints Sunday from residents of Marjah, the town in the south that thousands of U.S., NATO and Afghan troops just seized from the Taliban.
"Today, I'm hear to listen to you and hear your problems," Karzai told about 300 elders in a mosque in the central part of the town.
The elders didn't hold back.
They complained — sometimes shouting — about corruption among former Afghan government officials. They lamented how schools in Marjah were turned into military posts by international forces. They said shops were looted during the military offensive, and alleged that innocent civilians were detained by international forces.
Karzai's high-profile visit with NATO commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal was part of NATO's new counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, which aims to rout insurgents from population centers, set up a credible and effective civilian government and rush in aid.
The government's task in Marjah is to convince residents of the town in Helmand province that the civilian government can provide them with a better life than the Taliban, which were routed during a three-week offensive. Marjah is the first major test of the NATO counterinsurgency strategy since President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 new American troops to try to reverse the Taliban's momentum.
In a message to The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Yasouf Ahmadi said insurgents fired mortars into Marjah's main intersection, but reporters traveling with Karzai and McChrystal did not witness any attack.
Karzai flew to Marjah and met the elders near the town's main bazaar. McChrystal joined him on the floor of the mosque, but did not speak during the nearly two-hour meeting.
The elders expressed outrage over house searches conducted by the military, and civilian casualties that occurred during the offensive. They told Karzai they want Afghan troops — not international forces or local policemen — searching houses. The elders — some gesturing to express their frustration — also said they wanted clinics and schools, and were losing patience with the central government's inability to provide services.
The president, who has been dubbed "the mayor of Kabul" by critics who claim his authority doesn't extend beyond the capital, said the central government intends to be more responsive to the people's needs.
"Are you against me or with me?" Karzai asked the elders. "Are you going to support me?"
The elders all raised their hands and shouted: "We are with you. We are supporting you."
Karzai promised to provide them security, open schools and start building roads and clinics.
By: Brant
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